Expansion joint



March 13, 1928. 1,662,567

A. c. FISCHER EXPANSION JOINT Original Fiied May 25. 1921 a g g: INVENTOR Patented Mar. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES ALBERT G. FISCHER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIs.

nxmusrou JOINT.

Application filed Kay 25, 1921, Serial No. 472,319. Renewed December 19, 1924.

This invention relates to improvement in expansion joint used for paving and construction purposes and any situation where gxpansion and contraction must be provided This invention relates particularly to a flexible, board-like structure in contra-distinction to a rigid, board-like structure, and is composed of vegetable fibres of various kinds. such as, flax, hemp, straw or any other ingredients which may be suitably matted together in felted form, or otherwise interwoven, as is customary in forming such fibrous material into continuous sheets.

This vegetable material may be waterproofed or not, as is preferred, by injecting therein any bituminous or petroleum waterproofing saturants' adapted thereto, thus making the material waterproof but not destroying the felted, matted form, which gives to the expansion joint the inherent power of compression within itself and the power to re-expand of its own accord. The use of such fibrous material revents breakage of the joint, thus enabling it to be handled in a rough manner and still not be destroyed, whereas all solid bituminous joints, whether provided with felt sides or otherwise, become very brittle in cold weather and a minimum shock often breaks or cracks the entire joint.

Another object in my invention is to form this fibrous material as in matted form in a wet condition, then run through form presses or suitable machinery to mat the material together. The material should then preferably be dried, either in warming ovens or otherwise, and if desired, suitably waterproofed.

Another object of my invention resides in providing a compressible expansion joint which is builtup of a number of relatively small mats of fibrous material suitably matted or felted together to form a flexible boardlike strip, wherein such mats lic in substantially parallel, discontinuous and overlapping relation in the strip.

Another object of my invention is to prepare a joint which is lighter in structure than solid bituminous joints, thus effecting economy in transportation and efi'ecting economy in the necessary amount of solid material needed for the expansion joint.

Heretofore, the solid bituminous joints when under compression in 'warm weather have always oozed out of the crevice and have been flattened on the pavement-by the passing trafiic, so that the bituminous matter could not get back into the crevice, thus making a defective joint. By using a fibrous body of the type described this cannot happen, as the material is both compressible within itself and re-expansive when the pressure is released without oozing out of the crevice. The materialot' the present invention may be watcrproofed, as stated before, and suitably coated in various ways to preserve its body and protect it against the wear of the trafiic.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combination of designs, and methods of coating oi.- double saturating, the cssential elements of which are hereinafter described.

With reference to the drawingswhich accompany and form a' part of this specification: I I

Figure 1 illustratesone embodiment of my invention wherein the fibrous strip is enclosed in a bituminous jacket;

Figure 2 is a modified form of the inven tion;

Figure 3 is still another form of my invention.

Figure 1 represents a cross section of a body structure of fibrous joint which has been waterproofed and has been entirely en veloped in a solid bituminous substance, so that the portions indicated by a have become more or less a tough, solid mass, en-

closing a light. fibrous material, such as indicated by 0, either waterprooied or not watcrproofed. as is desired, the portion ind icated by a being impervious to Water and contacting either with the traffic at the crown or coming in contact with the construction materials which rest against it at the sides and base.

By reference to the figures it will be evident that in my improved expansion joint the fibres are disposed in discontinuous mats or strata, which are matted together in substantially parallel and overlapping relation to provide a preformed. fibrous body having marked compressibility and reexpansibility, and this is particularly marked when the material is permeated with waterproofing substances, such as, bituminous materi. I

Figure 2 indicates a fibrous expansion joint which may or may not be waterproofed--as shown at Cfaced with satura-ted felt sides, as shown at B which facing may be cemented thereto with bituminous or other adhesive substances.

Fi ure 3 indicates a matted fibrous materia ,which ma or may not be waterproofed, suitable or expansion joints, which is compressible within itself and reacts to its former shape upon release of the compressio Whi e I have described my invention and illustrated it in several designs I do not wish it understood that I limit myself to these constructions, as it is evident that the application of my invention may be varied in many ways within the scope.

An important distinction between the joint of the present invention and previously known stiff board-like joints using fibrous material in their composition. is that whereas it has heretofore been the practice to fill the felted or matted mass of fibers with hituminous matter in a manner to bind the fibers in relatively immovable relation. the present invention, while using, if desired. sufiicient saturant to render the individual elements of the fibrous mass waterproof, does not fill the mass in the sense of closing the interstices between the elements with the bituminous matter, but leaves the elements free to be deformed by external pressure and free to resume the initial form given to the joint by inherent resiliency of the fibrous mass; and uses bituminous matter either directly upon the fibrous mass or in the form of filled, felted sheets, sufiicient to provide confining or defining walls, or an envelope for the unfilled felted or matted mass: the wall of the joint which is presented at the outside surface of the sections between which the joint is used, being in the nature of a heavy asphaltic cap.

What I wish to claim is:

1. constructional -material comprising 9.

waterproofed, flexible, preformed strip, embodying in its structure interrupted and substantia ly parallel mats of fibrous material irregularly overlapping one another.

2. An expansion joint comprising a waterproofed, flexible, boardlike strip, embodying in its structure interrupter and substantially parallel mats of fibrous material irregularly overlapping one another, the thickness of said strip being saturated with bituminous material for a substantial depth from the surface inward, to provide a jacket of substantial thickness.

3. Constructional material comprising waterproofe'd, interrupted and substantially parallel mats of fibrous material of varying dimensions, and finely divided fibrous material, assembled in irregular, overlapping relation into a blocklike structure.

4. Expansion joint comprising a waterproofed flexible board-like strip, embodying in its structure interrupted and substantially parallel fibrous strata irregularly overlapping one another, and enclosed by a bituminous jacket, one edge of said bituminous jacket having a thickness and depth sufiicient to provide a substantially solid bituminous crown for the joint.

5. An expansion joint comprising a flexible, boardlike strip, embodying in its structure interrupted and substantially parallel mats of fibrous material irregularly overlapping one another and permeated with bituminous material.

6. A' preformed expansion joint comprising a flexible, boardlike strip made up of interrupted and substantially parallel mats of linear fibres of various kinds, said mats irregularly overlapping one another.

7. A preformed expansion joint comprising a flexible, boardlike strip embodying in its structure interrupted and substantially parallel mats of vegetable fibres pressed together and irregularly overlapping one another.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, on this 23d day of May, 1921.

ALBERT C. FISCHER. 

